The potluck party was mainly meant to be a meet-and-greet event. There weren't any big events, most of which were reserved for the International Animalian Convention. There were some Animalian-focused products being shown, but nothing particularly spectacular, namely household products that helped with fur, feathers, and scales. However, there was one Q&A panel going at this party which will be featuring a particular group of girls who had been friends long before the Animalian Virus Outbreak and were still friends afterwards.
On a big screen was a picture of Abigail Brown, Sarah Wesley, Jessica Mariana, and Sophie Albers from the previous summer, looking happy and waving at the camera. Abby, Sarah, Jessica, and Sophie were arranged to sit at a table in front of the big screen in the same order as was on the photo. Sophie was the only one that could be recognized from the photo considering she was the only one to remain human. Abby, Sarah, and Jessica had all been affected by the virus, becoming anthropomorphic versions of a horse, a husky, and a rabbit respectively. Jessica was easier to identify with her former self because she had only been exposed to a single dose. Both Abby and Sarah had been doubly exposed, resulting in them having the bodies of grown women instead of the 14-year old girls they chronologically were.
Of course, the audience had already been given an introduction of how Abby, Sarah, and Jessica had been changed. The main point of this Q&A panel was to ask how the quartet have been able to keep their friendship strong despite the change in species. "So, do you four spend any time together out of school?" asked one inquirer.
"Sure, we hang out lots of times," said Abby, "But I am kind of busy on the farm so that takes up time. Ever since I got these muscles, I've been trusted with more chores. Not that I don't enjoy the exercise." She flexed her thick arms in demonstration at that.
"There's also been a lot of new friends," said Sarah, "My sister, Mary Alice, spends a lot of time with us, though there are plenty of uplifted animals that are friendly."
"Do anything different now?" asked another inquirer.
"Well, we can't really go horseback riding," said Abby, which got a few laughs from the audience.
"But otherwise, we're still basically the same group of girls we were before, even if some of us are a little bigger," said Sarah.
"And does the fact that three of you became different types of Animalian have any affect on your friendship?" asked the same inquirer.
"Well, not a whole lot," said Sarah, "Horses and dogs work together quite a lot so it doesn't affect us that much. The biggest impact is that I have to eat meat while my other friends are vegetarians."
"My instincts are really the biggest problems," said Jessica, "As you know, rabbits are really timid creatures. They run away from anything bigger than them. And since some dogs are bred to hunt rabbits, I do feel a tiny bit of wariness around Sarah and Mary Alice. But I've got a bigger control over my instincts than that. Just because certain animals have a particular stereotype doesn't mean we all act like that. Some uplifted rodents are still timid and they can come over that. That doesn't quite apply to me since I'm a lagomorph, but you don't see the other rabbits cringing from everyone."
"And how do you feel about being the only single-doser among the four of you?" asked another person.
Jessica glanced at her larger friends and said, "Well, I admit I am a little bit jealous of how much bigger they are. Though really the only difference between single-dosers and double-dosers is age. Every kid that starts out with a single dose eventually grows up to look like they had a double dose. I mean, I'm already bustier than I was before I got a dose. I was annoyed with my parents from keeping me from double-dosing at first, but I guess I can understand them now. Some kids are too much of a hurry to grow up."
There were a few murmurs in the crowd before one of the audience members spoke up, "And what about you, Sophie? How do you feel about being the only human left among your friends?"
Sophie looked at her friends, glancing briefly to the photo of their last summer together before high school. "Well, I have to admit I never would have expected high school to start out like this. I mean, first Abby shows up as a horse, Sarah and her dog becomes sisters, and then Jessica decides to become a rabbit. A lot of things have changed so fast. And yet, when I look at them, I can still see my friends under that fur. Just because I'm still human doesn't mean I can't be friends with them."
"And do you plan to ever become an Animalian too?" asked the same inquirer.
"I think the only reason I hadn't become one is because I give my parrot bottled water to drink instead of tap water. But even so, I don't feel any real call to join Animalia right now. Maybe in a few years, maybe after high school, maybe when I'm old and I could use a double-dose to regain my youth. But right now, I'm content to be human," said Sophie.
The Q&A panel went on for a while, but the friends were able to answer questions without much difficulty. Overall, it would seem that the potluck party would be a success.